Regulations
Drone Laws in Canada
Weight classes, certificates, where you can fly and what it costs to get it wrong. Current as of August 2026.
Canada’s drone rules changed substantially on 4 November 2025. If you learned the framework before then, some of what you know is out of date — particularly around heavier aircraft and beyond-visual-line-of-sight work. This is the current picture.
The Four Weight Classes
Transport Canada sorts drones by weight, and the class determines what you need before you fly.
Microdrones, under 250 g. No registration and no pilot certificate. The reckless-operation rules still apply, as do airspace restrictions, and there are separate requirements for microdrones at advertised events.
Small drones, 250 g up to and including 25 kg. Registration and a pilot certificate are both required. This band splits into Basic and Advanced operations depending on where and how close to people you fly.
Medium drones, over 25 kg up to 150 kg. Since 4 November 2025 these can be flown within visual line of sight on an Advanced Pilot Certificate — in uncontrolled airspace, or in controlled airspace with air traffic control permission. This is the change most people miss: heavier aircraft in this band no longer automatically require a Special Flight Operations Certificate. The drone must be declared as safe and able to perform the specific operation.
Large drones, over 150 kg. These remain outside the standard categories.
Three Certificate Levels
Basic Operations covers uncontrolled airspace, away from bystanders and never over them. Minimum age 14. You register and mark the drone, pass the Small Basic exam, and carry your certificate. See our guide to getting the Basic certificate.
Advanced Operations covers controlled airspace with authorisation, flight near and over people with the right aircraft declaration, and medium drones in visual line of sight. Minimum age 16. It adds an in-person flight review after the exam. See our guide to getting the Advanced certificate.
Level 1 Complex Operations is the newest level, introduced on 4 November 2025 for lower-risk beyond-visual-line-of-sight work. Minimum age 18. It builds on Advanced and requires ground school through a flight school, a separate exam, and its own flight review. Complex operations must be flown under an RPAS Operator Certificate.
Your certificate does not expire — but you are required to keep your knowledge current through a recency activity. Our recency seminar satisfies that requirement.
Where You Can Fly
The general limits that apply to drone operations are: below 122 metres (400 feet) above ground level, within visual line of sight at all times, and clear of advertised events and emergency operations such as fire-fighting or police activity.
Basic operations additionally require you to stay 5.6 km (3 nautical miles) from certified airports, 1.9 km (1 nautical mile) from certified heliports, and at least 30 metres horizontally from bystanders, never flying over them. You must also stay clear of controlled airspace, including the Terminal Control Area around larger, busier airports.
Those figures describe a general framework rather than the actual restricted area, which is often larger in practice. Check the specific launch point before every flight — our article on where you can fly with a Basic certificate shows how far the real restrictions extend around Canadian cities.
Visiting Pilots
If you are not Canadian and want to fly here, the requirement is a Canadian drone pilot certificate for any drone of 250 g or more — whatever authorisation you hold at home. Transport Canada gives no credit for foreign qualifications, and you sit the same exams Canadians do.
Depending on the aircraft, your purpose and the location, you may also need a Foreign SFOC-RPAS in addition to the certificate. Our guide to flying as a foreign operator sets out when each applies.
What It Costs to Get It Wrong
Transport Canada publishes penalties as a paired schedule. For an individual: up to $1,000 for flying without a pilot certificate, up to $3,000 for flying where you are not allowed, up to $3,000 for putting aircraft and people at risk, and up to $5,000 for flying an unregistered or unmarked drone.
For a corporation the same four violations carry up to $5,000, $15,000, $15,000 and $25,000 respectively.
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